Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc.http://lentinidesign.com
Content Designed Marketing for Print | Web | Social Media | EmailFri, 16 Mar 2018 21:37:32 +0000en-UShourly1http://lentinidesign.com/ldm/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-LDM_favicon-32x32.pngLentini Design & Marketing, Inc.http://lentinidesign.com
3232What to Know About Social Mediahttp://lentinidesign.com/know-social-media/
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 05:24:46 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2310What to Know About Social Media By Michelle McAllister Social media is a valuable marketing tool, but to reach its full potential it must be used correctly. One thing we know for sure is that you have to... Read More

Social media is a valuable marketing tool, but to reach its full potential it must be used correctly. One thing we know for sure is that you have to keep pace with changes to the platforms. For example, the days of simply posting content for free and receiving high engagement are numbered. Feed algorithms on all major platforms have either recently or are working on a more transparent approach for their users. This means most professionally branded content will need to be paid or “sponsored.” In addition, sponsored content will be allocated differently than before in any given user’s feed. To position your brand and to optimize your efforts in the space, we have the biggest trends to be aware of for social media in 2018.

Video Content is Still Strong

Video is still the preferred content type for engagement. While Instagram is seeing an uptick in boosted posts, you can still use the Stories feature to reach new audiences. Bonus — it’s still free! The best part of this, you can add in links on your posts for this Instagram feature. For a platform that is usually shy with the link opportunities, this is gold. Organic reach isn’t impossible on this platform but it will be a harder mountain to climb in the year ahead. If you want to stay ahead of trends, learning how to optimize your marketing with paid advertising is the best route. At the very least, get comfortable with that camera! Short and sweet is all you need to stand out in a social media feed.

Reaching Your Prime Audience

It’s more important than ever to be familiar with your analytics on any channel. Your content needs to be personalized for your prime demographic, and to understand how to engage with them you need to know who they are. Factors like the best time to post, message engagement, and tone are all important. Even if you’re not typically a “numbers” brand — this is the time to familiarize yourself with the engagement data for your social media presence. It could mean a world of difference.

Influencers Are Still a Big Deal

Influencers are important, but they must be utilized correctly or don’t bother. According to Twitter, 40% of its users claim higher engagement due to influencers. You don’t have to go top of the line either. Even “micro-influencers” (influencers with only 1000+ followers) can help move the needle of your business’ visibility while allowing you to reserve some of your budget for other marketing efforts.

Facebook: Pay-To-Play

In case you haven’t heard, Facebook has (yet again) changed its algorithm for its user newsfeed. The only option available for free content is the Explore Feed, leaving main newsfeeds free for only friend posts or sponsored posts. Basically, if you’re not paying you’re pushed to the side. This means Facebook is now operating like any pay-to-play channel— yes, like TV or radio. The good news? Facebook has some of the most precise ad targeting tools available. While it will cost you to rise above the noise, any ad buys and even boosted posts are sure to be worth the budget.

If you really want to up your presence in any or all of these channels, having professional help (like LDM) can really make a difference. We’d love to lead your efforts and get your brand noticed.

]]>Emails Are Still A Valuable Marketing Toolhttp://lentinidesign.com/emails-still-valuable-marketing-tool/
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 01:41:38 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2289Emails Are Still A Valuable Marketing Tool by Michelle McAllister Social media is the king of marketing, and print will always have its presence, however, when you’re looking to maximize your marketing dollars, don’t forget about email. 80%... Read More

Social media is the king of marketing, and print will always have its presence, however, when you’re looking to maximize your marketing dollars, don’t forget about email. 80% of marketers still report email as the strongest performing media buy. It’s also the tried and true method to retain repeat customers.

Here are some tips to make sure your email campaigns stand out:

1. The Best Email Software
The majority of time spent online is via mobile devices, and over 50% of emails are opened on mobile platforms. To keep yourself competitive, it’s important to have email marketing software that is optimized for mobile consumers.

2. Cut To The Chase
Your audience has a short attention span— 51 seconds to be exact. If your content can’t be shortened, use the email as a teaser to your site or online article. It’s always better to offer a taste and leave them wanting more (and clicking over to your website) than ignoring half of your content.

3. Get Personal
Consider personalizing the greeting by including your client’s name in the subject line. Most email marketing software programs have this feature available. Capitalize on it if you have that information in your list database. Best practices note: If you decide to employ this tactic, make sure you either exclude any subscribers that do not have a first name value in your list or have a “fallback” term such as “friend” (as in “Dear friend,”).

4. Be Authentic
When crafting your messaging, make sure to keep it authentic to your brand but also offer something specific for your audience. This includes both your content and your imagery! Even small touches of your brand will go a long way. Generic emails fill inboxes, but they don’t perform as well, and this weakens your brand image to your demographic. Give your email personality!

5. Be Valuable
Content is everything and while you’re staying on brand, make sure your message also adds some value to your audience. Remember, quality over quantity is the best practice for long-term audience/customer retention. Don’t miss your chance to reaffirm your expertise and authority in your market.

If you use the above tactics, you’ll create a strong and unique email marketing campaign. Still have questions? Need visuals to back up your amazing content? We’re here to help!

]]>LDM Founder Hilary Lentini in “50-Plus Years of GDUSA People To Watch”http://lentinidesign.com/ldm-founder-hilary-lentini-50-plus-years-gdusa-people-watch/
Sat, 16 Sep 2017 00:02:49 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2222LDM Founder Hilary Lentini in “50-Plus Years of GDUSA People To Watch” Hilary Lentini, Principal and Creative Director of Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc. is in the “50-Plus Years of GDUSA People To Watch” article in the Graphic Design... Read More

]]>LDM Founder Hilary Lentini in “50-Plus Years of GDUSA People To Watch”

Hilary Lentini, Principal and Creative Director of Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc. is in the “50-Plus Years of GDUSA People To Watch” article in the Graphic Design USA 2017 “People to Watch” edition. To read the article, click here.

]]>How To Keep Your Brand Safe From Controversyhttp://lentinidesign.com/keep-brand-safe-controversy/
Tue, 08 Aug 2017 17:47:34 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2200How To Keep Your Brand Safe From Controversy One of the foundations of effective advertising is having a quality marketing agency as a core part of your team. This important addition to your approach assists in focusing in... Read More

One of the foundations of effective advertising is having a quality marketing agency as a core part of your team. This important addition to your approach assists in focusing in on your ideal audience AND the most effective messaging that resonates with that audience. Getting the messaging right is critical and not as easy as it seems.

What if your message inadvertently hits a sour note (think a leading soft drink company and a very poorly received, culturally tone deaf television spot)? Nowadays being politically sensitive and socially aware opens new doors for companies who market the right way. But how do these companies know what to say, how to say it, and whom to say it to in order to achieve success in advertising? Whether you are a large corporation or a small business, you should have a trustworthy advertising partner who knows how to help you avoid advertising controversy. That can be more complicated if you don’t have an experienced team who knows what can help or harm your brand when it comes to targeting a certain audience. Teamwork means assessing every fact, opinion, thought and question from different angles in order to know exactly what you’re advertising.

The Text

The text is a key part of advertising, and one of the most important in getting the message across to your audience — aside from the imagery, of course! It’s the words you use that can make or break your brand. Knowing exactly what to say to get the unique benefits of choosing your brand across, and to keep your audience interested, is the alchemy of advertising. At the same time, it’s imperative to stay true to your brand and its voice, because after all — your brand’s uniqueness is why your clients/customers choose it.

The Imagery

The imagery used is equally as important as the words because the visual is the first thing your audience will associate with your brand. Everything in the imagery, especially the pictures, fonts, and colors you use, can have a strong impact on your audience. It’s important to take into consideration the perspectives of ALL audiences. Never make assumptions about the audience(s). Covering all of your bases when it comes to messaging is where collaborative teamwork, new ideas, fresh opinions, and deep knowledge will be beneficial.

It’s not as easy as it may seem to stay true to your brand while also at the same time staying relevant with the times. Having a good marketing team means they are there to hit the update button on your brand and to be able to assess where your brand fits in the market. Whether it’s a new tagline for your latest campaign, or a cultural news reference in your social media, or targeting an entirely new audience because you added a new slate of services, the language used in your advertising is exceedingly critical.

Your marketing team should be able to filter through the correct concepts and relevant messaging that come with targeting audiences and advertising your brand.

The best way to make sure your brand’s advertising is on point is to perform the below steps.

Define your target audience(s)

Define the messaging each audience needs. It should be the same overall message, but may need to be changed up slightly for each audience segment.

Decide on impactful imagery

Review your planned messaging and imagery: research how it will sound and look to ALL audiences. Did you say it well? Are there any sensitivities you may not be aware of?

A great marketing team (like LDM) knows what is grammatically, politically, and socially correct, while at the same time maintaining the fluidity and image of your brand. This ultimately builds your brand, your audience, and your bottom line — it’s what we like to call a win-win-win.

Hilary Lentini, Principal and Creative Director of Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc. was interviewed for the Capital One Spark Business article “Why Offering Employee Benefits May Be More Cost Effective Than You Think.”

]]>Branding 2017: Digital & Traditional is Keyhttp://lentinidesign.com/branding-2017-digital-traditional-key/
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 19:17:48 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2157Branding 2017: Digital & Traditional is Key Imagine you’re cruising in your new car, enjoying all of the new bells and whistles and modern conveniences, feeling like you own the road…until you spot for the first time, the... Read More

Imagine you’re cruising in your new car, enjoying all of the new bells and whistles and modern conveniences, feeling like you own the road…until you spot for the first time, the all-new, upgraded, redesigned model of your [now older] car on the road. It’s the makings of becoming ordinary, the new smell has worn off and now it’s just you, in a regular car.

If you oversee branding or marketing on any level, the Q1 wrap up can feel just this way. You’re reviewing marketing milestones and memorializing campaigns, hoping you don’t spot the newer, upgraded, redesigned model of your marketing vehicle along the way. For traditional as well as digital campaigns, now is the time to examine branding bright spots and blind spots to keep your model brand new.

TraditionalOn the traditional side, branding changes every year starting with that signature pantone color. Look for it everywhere: fashion, décor, design, technology, textiles. This year’s featured color is Greenery (15-0343) a “fresh and zesty” yellow-green that calls to mind the first days of Spring. Fast forward 3 years, and Greenery (15-0343) doesn’t look so fresh, more like the “who missed the block heel” memo! So, look at your campaigns and make sure your accent colors are still screaming current. Traditional marketing trends aren’t all about looks, either.

AuthenticityIn a culture that celebrates streaming selfies and unbridled individuality, the prevailing theme is authenticity. Anyone or anything that does not ring true will miss it’s intended mark. Messaging that makes intimate, real and personal connections are the most effective.

SimplicitySimplicity in design is just one way of seeing this concept, but think of simplifying your messaging, and making it more targeted and focused. This limiting of information in varied spaces yields greater impact and action.

DigitalAddressing your digital presence: design, messaging and functionality must seamlessly integrate. How you utilize widgets and apps to create intuitive online experiences for your partners and clients matters. How you treat them online also matters, greatly.

Customer ServiceWith so much digital content, apps and onDemand, how dare a brand not integrate features like customer service and other easily accessible user interface options? Loyalty begins with a smile, and smart marketing campaigns are built on the strength of relationships.

Email MarketingPersonal touch is the driving force that keeps email marketing relevant. Like all things digital, email campaigns will become more targeted and yield greater market research data based on demographics and online behavior. To extract this data, look for more embedded video and interactive forms, surveys, etc.

Social MediaSharing is caring. The best way to get content off your site and into the realm of qualified leads is to make this a top marketing priority. The media on your website must be sharable on various platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Text, Email, etc. If you don’t, it’s like printing a brochures and keeping them in the box

Lentini Design & Marketing understands the upgrades necessary to maintain marketplace dominance. We know that your brand is forever challenged to keep up with the hottest new trend, not only for traditional aesthetics, but also in responsive and digital functionality. As technology changes and your clients interact with new apps and tools in other settings, the key is maintaining relevance, making sure your brand is current and always reads latest model, instead of oldluxury car.

]]>Print is NOT Deadhttp://lentinidesign.com/print-not-dead/
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 04:10:35 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2131Print is NOT Dead by Allie Cormier Despite what you may have heard, Print is not dead. There’s an entire sector of the population that doesn’t have email alerts trilling in at all hours of the night and... Read More

Despite what you may have heard, Print is not dead. There’s an entire sector of the population that doesn’t have email alerts trilling in at all hours of the night and yes — we realize the irony of this coming to you through the digital space.

Print lives on. While we like getting emails, receiving evites, interacting with ebooks, and digitally cruising through ecatalogs, being able to actually hold an invitation in one’s fingers evokes something special. The subtle weight of the paper hovering gently on your fingertips as you leaf through a beautifully designed book or magazine; that experience might actually help lift the weight of the day off your shoulders.

Getting mail the good ol’ fashioned way through your neighborhood mail carrier takes many people back to a simpler time. You hang that thoughtfully designed invitation or postcard on your refrigerator, and it’s there to stay, reminding you of all the details. After the event it may even end up covered by photos taken at the event, ensuring that every time you walk by the ‘fridge, you smile and remember how much fun you had.It’s those kinds of “touch memories” that make our print design efforts at Lentini Design & Marketing very satisfying. It’s knowing that while we may not get to don our black tie best and attend that gala with you, we were able to have a small part in your enjoyment when you first opened the envelope and smiled, looking at the invitation and imagining the happy memories that were sure to come.

From a business-oriented side of things, there are certain benefits to Print. You may find that a printed piece is a bit more spendy than a digital version, but think of why. Print holds weight. It sets you apart as someone who is elevating your brand with polish and style.

So with that mind, think of how Print can help you. No ideas? No worries, we know people! : )

Allie CormierAllie received her BA in Communication from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School in 2007. While at USC, Allie explored various art forms before finding her passion in design, illustration and social media. She focuses on graphic design, copy, and social media marketing and branding.

]]>2016 GDUSA Awardshttp://lentinidesign.com/2016-gdusa-awards/
Sun, 15 Jan 2017 00:44:45 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2142Happy New Year! We hope that your 2017 is full of happiness, good health, and prosperity. As we at LDM usher in 2017, we are pleased to announce 10 more national design awards from the esteemed GDUSA Magazine... Read More

This brings our total national design awards to 117 thus far. We are grateful to you, our clients, for providing us the opportunity to create such successful projects on your behalf. Congratulations to you as well!

View the full collection of our 2016 American Graphic Design award winners.

View a small sampling of our 2016 American Graphic Design award winners here.

The GDUSA 53rd Annual American Graphic Design Awards received approximately 10,000 entries worldwide.

]]>LDM Founder Hilary Lentini tapped as panelist for National Association of Women Business Ownershttp://lentinidesign.com/ldm-founder-hilary-lentini-tapped-as-panelist-for-national-association-of-women-business-owners/
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 21:10:58 +0000http://lentinidesign.com/?p=2083Hilary Lentini, Principal and Creative Director of Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc. was selected as an expert panelist for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) “Best Practices for Corporate and Economic Development” webinar held on Thursday, November... Read More

]]>Hilary Lentini, Principal and Creative Director of Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc. was selected as an expert panelist for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) “Best Practices for Corporate and Economic Development” webinar held on Thursday, November 17, 2016.